The Ending Of Predator: Badlands Explained

Contains spoilers for “Predator: Badlands”

Much of the “Predator” cinematic franchise thus far has consisted of Predators coming to Earth to fight humans. Nearly 40 years since the first “Predator” came out, “Predator: Badlands” flips the series on its head by making a Yautja, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), the lead this time, needing to prove himself on a dangerous alien world (even by his standards). Luckily, he has a synthetic (well, the top half of one) in Elle Fanning’s Thia to help him figure out how to get the greatest game of all.

“Predator: Badlands” is the third “Predator” movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who previously helmed the 2022 hit “Prey” and the 2025 animated anthology flick “Predator: Killer of Killers.” All three films take wildly different approaches to the franchise. “Prey” follows a Comanche warrior in the 18th century while “Killer of Killers” shows different Predator excursions on Earth before presenting a battle royale among the survivors on the Yautja homeworld. “Badlands” is a complete sci-fi epic with zero human characters that makes a Yautja sympathetic for once and works way better than it has any right to according to Looper’s review. 

But what could the ending of “Predator: Badlands” mean for the rest of the series? Does Trachtenberg have a grand team-up cooking? Here’s everything you need to know about where “Badlands” leaves the franchise.

Dek is the runt of his clan, and his father, Njohrr (also played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) wants him dead to remove any weakness. Dek’s brother Kwei (Mike Homik) feels he deserves a hunt to prove himself, with Dek setting his sights high: He wants to go after the seemingly unkillable Kalisk from the planet Genna. Kwei protects Dek from their father and sends him to Genna, losing his life at the hands of Njohrr in the process.

Dek struggles on Genna to begin with, as nothing is what it seems. However, he gets assistance from a synthetic droid owned by Weyland-Yutani (from the “Alien” franchise) named Thia. She’s familiar with this world, as Weyland-Yutani is also interested in acquiring the Kalisk, so she becomes Dek’s companion, offering helpful hints on how not to die. Dek gets another companion in the form of Bud (Rohinal Narayan) a blue, primate-like creature that takes a liking to Dek and Thia (as demonstrated by spitting on them) after they help it defeat a monstrous creature.

Dek decides to leave Bud behind, feeling as though he shouldn’t have to rely on anyone to complete his hunt. Yautja hunt alone, after all. Upon arriving at the former Weyland-Yutani camp, Thia reveals how more corporate forces are on the way to get the Kalisk, which has regenerative abilities. But Dek makes his stand by battling the creature, and even though the Kalisk gets the upper-hand on Dek, it doesn’t kill him when it has the chance. Tessa (another synth that looks like Thia) arrives with more forces to apprehend both the Kalisk and Dek, who is left stranded without any weapons.

Dek reunites with Bud and realizes that Bud is actually the Kalisk’s child. Dek also recognizes that being different from other Yautja isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and he can use his ability to be part of a pack to his advantage. He forages exploding bugs, dart plants, and several other dangerous things he’s encountered on Genna to help him make a stand and retrieve both the Kalisk and Thia. 

The team takes on Weyland-Yutani’s forces, resulting in a final showdown with Tessa. The released Kalisk eats Tessa, but she unleashes some Yautja freeze grenades inside the creature, blowing it up (and seemingly killing it for good, despite its regenerative nature). Tessa then aims her weapon at Thia, but Dek manages to kill her from behind, leaving him, Thia, and Bud as a new clan of sorts. But there’s one last thing Dek needs to take care of. 

Dek returns to Yautja Prime and battles his father, proving his worth by subduing him. At long last, Njohrr acknowledges Dek as part of the clan, but he doesn’t need the other Yautja now, especially not Njohrr — his father is eaten by a much bigger Bud, who looks more like the Kalisk now. Before Dek, Thia, and Bud can celebrate too much, a new vessel emerges, and Dek announces that he now has to deal with his mother.

It’s hard to get a sense of Dek’s tone when he mentions his mother has arrived since he’s speaking Yautja, but given the ominous presence of her vessel, it doesn’t seem like a good thing. “Predator” lore can get a little messy when diving into the expanded universe, though there have been stories where the Yautja are seen as a more matriarchal society. In short, a Yautja Matriarch is the female version of a Clan Leader, which is what we’d assume Njohrr is in “Predator: Badlands.” While Clan Leaders go on hunts on other planets, Matriarchs remain localized to Yautja Prime, handling affairs on the homeworld. 

With that in mind, Dek’s mother might have a better handle on how things are going on Yautja Prime, which can include the gladiator-esque battles portrayed in “Predator: Killer of Killers.” Perhaps his mother wants him to play a more active role in these fights, which he may or may not want to engage in. After all, he has his own clan now and may even want to break away from Yautja tradition, including the kidnapping of humans and aliens from other worlds for their entertainment. This could all have major ramifications for the future of the franchise.

Thia being a synth from Weyland-Yutani (which are different from the hybrids introduced in “Alien: Earth”) confirms that the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises exist in the same universe. A false fact some people believe is that the two “Alien vs. Predator” films that came out in the 2000s are canon. This isn’t the case, and most fans tend to ignore them entirely. But with Weyland-Yutani now factoring into “Predator” movies, a new crossover can occur. However, this isn’t necessarily teased in “Predator: Badlands.” In fact, it makes more sense for Dan Trachtenberg to stick with Predator-centric stories, especially with Dek’s mother now in play.

Trachtenberg actually told Collider that he already has another idea for the series. “‘Killer of Killers’ and ‘Badlands’ came kind of at the same time,” he said. “It was sort of like, ‘Well, which one would I want to make first?’ Also, in fairness, there was a third idea that I’m not speaking to, but they were all equally like, ‘Oh my gosh, wait a second.'” This is purely speculative, but what if that third idea is a plan to merge “Prey,” “Killer of Killers,” and “Badlands,” the three “Predator” films he’s directed so far? If you think about it, the groundwork has already been laid.

“Killer of Killers” ends with the reveal that Naru (Amber Midthunder) from “Prey” is being kept on the Yautja homeworld in suspended animation, ready to be brought out to fight whenever they want. An extra scene was added later to include Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from “Predator” and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) from “Predator 2” within the same compound. With Dek breaking away from Yautja tradition and forming his own clan, the next movie could see him team-up with Naru, Dutch, and Mike for the ultimate breakout. It could be the “Avengers: Endgame” of the “Predator” franchise, and that’s incredibly exciting to think about.